Hi, I am researching my family trees back and can't seem to find any more info earlier than 1650 in France. There doesn't seem to be any on the net? Anyone have any advice for doing it from Canada and also if I ever can travel to France to see any records there? I'd really appreciate any advice and also would be interested in hearing from historians or local people from either Besancon or Paris France. Those are the two towns of origin from my mother's and father's sides. Thanks!
2007-08-21 16:13:59 · 6 answers · asked by scarlet 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Genealogy
Records for Besancon will be petering out in the middle 1600s. Too many wars took their toll on the Catholic parishes in the area...and all the records were kept by the parishes. Records for Paris are hit and miss and you really have to know what you're looking for in order to find them. You'll have to know the parish of baptism for the person involved.
I've been doing French-Canadian genealogy for 28 years. If you want to send the surnames, I can check the reference books on the early settlers, filles du roi, Carignan Regiment, Acadia and others. When you get back to the founding fathers (and mothers) of Canada, most of their genealogy is quite well-documented and there aren't many stones left unturned. The only recent additions to the research comes from the Catherine de Baillon project that traced her definitively back to Charlemagne.
I'll be glad to help however I can and to point you to whichever French resources are available to you. If you want to email me through my profile, I'll be glad to help you tomorrow night.
2007-08-21 16:25:26 · answer #1 · answered by GenevievesMom 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Hi, Girly, I hope You will know more from your family tree !
Be proud of what You find and despair not if you have anymore .
I am from Paris and I can tell You that all archives before and after1650 in Ancien Régime period were burnt by the Communards ( Fire in 1871 ) so that is why I could not find some ancestors around this time !
I do not know about Besançon, town of the Franche-Comté [ Burgundy's County ] but I must say You that ever when the church books were not destroyed by fire, Mice and neglegment would have made them disappear .
Don't forget also that paper was costly on these days, it was not necessarily a good expense for the clergy .
2007-08-24 18:29:27 · answer #2 · answered by seatiel 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Thirty Years War ended in 1648 with the Treaty of Westphalia. Over those thirty years, battles were fought over much of western Europe. Catholics and Protestants alike systematically destroyed each others churches, and that's where most records were kept.
France was relatively spared then, but there were many other battles with England and internecine battles among the French nobility. Churches and town halls were looted and burned.
2007-08-23 14:20:03 · answer #3 · answered by greydoc6 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My mother's maiden name is Coston, and I've seen listings on www.familysearch.org of the same name in England (where her family originated) as far back as the 11th century (years like 1045 and some even earlier than that). This site has names from all over the world and doesn't cost anything like memberships on other websites do. I also would be willing to look up the names for you on www.ancestry.com because I have a world deluxe membership with them at the moment. My email address is on my profile. :)
2007-08-22 00:43:42 · answer #4 · answered by jan51601 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Scarlet, if you posted the names of the two French towns in your title, I think you would get more germane responses from people who live there or who know people who do...
What do you think?
2007-08-21 23:25:06 · answer #5 · answered by No substitute for privacy online 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You Might try buying a "World" membership from Ancestry.com and going that route......might help.
2007-08-21 23:32:08 · answer #6 · answered by Firesoul 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋